Ice making machine



Oct. 25, 1955 Filed May 12, 1952 J. A. l. BRANDIN ET AL ICE MAKINGMACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 25, 1955 Filed May 12, 1952 J. A. l.BRANDIN ET AL ICE MAKING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ICE MAKING MACHINEJohan Axel Ivar Brandin and Nils Erik Birger Larsson, Finspong, SwedenApplication May 12, 1952, Serial No. 287,404

Claims priority, application Sweden May 12, 1951 1 Claim. (Cl. 62107)The present invention relates to ice making machines of the type havingvertically extending tubes for conducting downwardly flowing water to befrozen to ice under the influence of a refrigerant surrounding the tubesso as to form solid or hollow ice rods inside the tubes. As said icerods stick to the inside surfaces of the tubes they must be loosenedtherefrom. It is common practice for this purpose to replace atintervals the said refrigerant against a hot gas taken from the highpressure portion of the respective refrigerating machinery. It is alsoknown in connection with ice making machines of the said type to cut theloosened ice rods into pieces by means of a rotary knife mechanism,while the rods rest by their bottom ends on a stop member.

According to the present invention a machine of this type is providedwith means for ejecting the pieces cut off from the ice rods. Accordingto a feature of the invention said ejecting means are provided below theknife mechanism and constructed so as to eject the ice pieces in asubstantially radial direction. A further feature of the inventioninvolves that the ejecting device is carried by the same rotary shaft asthe knife mechanism. Said shaft extends from the knife mechanismupwardly through the central portion of the set of tubes and isconnected, above the set of tubes, with a driving mechanism.

Due to the substantially radial ejection of the ice pieces and to thefact that the connection between the supporting shaft of the knifemechanism and the ice ejecting device is located above the set of tubes,the space between the tubes and the water tank will be free fromconstructional elements that might obstruct the flow and, as a furtherresult of this arrangement, said space may be considerably reduced asfar as its vertical extension is concerned.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an ice making machine according to theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the knife mechanism on the line IIIIII ofFig. 1, and, v

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of part of a modified ice ejector.

Water to be frozen to ice is supplied to a tank 1 through a conduit 2.The supply is controlled by means of a float operated valve 3. A pump 4passes water from the tank 1 through a conduit 5 up to the top of theice making machine, from where it flows down through a set of tubes 6along the inner surfaces thereof back to the tank 1. The tubes arenormally surrounded by a refrigerant within a container 7 in which theset of tubes is located. Said refrigerant is supplied from a magazine,not shown, through a conduit 8, while the gas produced is returnedthrough a conduit 9 to said magazine and thence back to therefrigerating machinery. Under the influence of said refrigerant solidor hollow ice rods are formed inside the tubes, said rods will, whenready, stick to the tube walls. In order to loosen the ice rods StatesPatentO "ice and allow them to drop out of the tubes, the pump 4 isstopped, a magnet valve 10 is opened and another magnet valve 11 isclosed. By these operations a hot gas is led from the high pressureportion of the refrigerating machinery through the conduit 12 and aconduit 13 and delivered to the container 7 at the top thereof. Said hotgas expels the refrigerant through conduit 8. After the refrigerantcontained in 7 is completely removed, a float valve 14 located in areceiver-like portion of the conduit 8 sinks with the sinkingrefrigerant and breaks the connection between the conduit 8 and thecontainer 7. The hot gas now condensates on the outer surfaces of thetubes while delivering heat thereto, thereby thawing the ice rods sothat they are released from thewalls of the tubes and allowed to drop.Approximately at the same time that the ice making machine is thuscoupled for thawing operation, or shortly thereafter, a motor 15provided at the top of container 7 is started which rotates through theintermedium of a suitable transmission a vertical shaft 16 extendingdownwards through the center of the set of tubes. All of the saidmotions may be controlled, for instance, by means of a time clock.

For cutting the ice rods dropping from inside the tubes to pieces aknife mechanism 17 is provided on the shaft 16 below the set of tubes.As will appear from Fig. 3, the knife 17 may be detachably mounted on asupporting bar 18. There is no means provided for upholding the droppingice rods, before they are cut, but the cutting takes place while the'icerods are moving downwards. As a result, the pieces obtained will be thesmaller, the higher is the speed of the knife mechanism. It is thuspossible by variation of the speed of shaft 16 to get ice pieces of thesize best suited to the purpose for which the ice pieces should be used.In case of fish cooling purpose, for instance, small ice pieces arepreferred.

Below the knife mechanism 17 the shaft 16 carries an ice ejector in theshape of a bar 20 comprising, in the example shown, two oppositelydirected radial arms. The pieces cut off from the ice rods by the knife17 drop onto a perforated bottom plate 21 which allows the accompanyingwater to drop into the tank 1. Said ice ejector throws the ice piecessubstantially radially outwards through a port 22 from where they passthrough an outlet chute 23 down into a collecting vessel or the like. Asan alternative, the knife mechanism may be formed with an ejectingportion located immediately below the cutting element.

Due to the radial ejection and the fact that the power motor andassociated transmission are positioned above the tubes the space betweenthe tubes and the water tank becomes free from any elements that mayobstruct the flow and, as an added advantage, the vertical extension ofsaid space may be a minimum.

After all ice rods have left the tubes, the ice making machine iscoupled for producing another set of ice rods.

In Fig. 4 a modified form of ice ejector is illustrated. The ice makingmachine may in other respects be similar to that shown in Fig. 1. InFig. 4, however, only such elements are shown which are necessary forthe purpose of the description. The form shown in Fig. 4 has for itsspecial object to produce ice pieces with a minimum of adhering water.For certain purpose, as for fish cooling, it is desirable to distributethe ice pieces as uniformly as possible amongst the fish. With a view topermit such a distribution as well as a storing of ice pieces asdelivered by the machine, the ice pieces should be as dry as possible inorder to prevent them from freezing together.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 the said object is obtained by usingas an ice ejector a centrifugal basket rotating with the knife mechanismand its supporting shaft, said basket having a perforatedcircumferential wall through the perforations of which the wateraccompanying the ice pieces is thrown out by the action of thecentrifugal force, while the ice pieces themselves are caused by thesame force to slide up along the circumferential wall of the basketwhich to this end widens upwardly, and are ejected from the basket atthe top of said wall. By this action the ice pieces are relieved fromthe water resulting from the thawing operation as well as the water notyet frozen inside hollow ice rods at the expiration of refrigeratingperiod.

With reference in detail to Fig. 4, the water tank is indicated by 1,the tube in which the ice rods are produced by 6, and the surroundingcontainer by 7, similarly as in Fig. 1. In Fig. 4 only the lower portionof the set of tubes and the corresponding portion of the surroundingcontainer are shown. The central power shaft for supporting the knife 17and the ice ejector is indicated by 16 as in Fig. 1, and the knife by.17. The ice outlet chute is indicated by 23.

Secured to the bottom end of shaft 16 below the knife 17 is thecentrifugal basket. Said basket in the example shown is made fromcomparatively strong wires 30 arranged in spaced relation to each otherand secured by welding to a bottom 31 at their lower ends and to anyannular bond 32 adjacent their upper ends. The basket may, of course, beof other shape and/or material, as for instance, sheet metal havingapertures punched therein, without departing from the principle of theinvention.

In Fig. 4 some ice pieces cut off from the rods by the knife 17 areshown and designated by the reference numeral 33. When dropping into thebasket the ice pieces are accompanied by water resulting from thethawing operation as well as water not yet frozen inside the hollowrods. Upon the rotation of the basket the water is ejected between thewires 30 and collects in the water tank 1, while the ice pieces slide upalong the circumferential wall of the basket which to this end widensupwardly and, when reaching the upper edge of the wall, they are thrownout into the outlet chute 23 from where the practically dry ice piecesdrop into a collecting receptacle or the like. In the example shown thebasket is shaped as a truncate cone, the large end up, but it may, ofcourse, have any other suitable shape, as for instance, that of asemisphere.

We claim:

An ice ejecting mechanism for ice making machines, having a set ofvertical tubes for conducting downwardly flowing water to be frozen intoice, a container surrounding said set of tubes for alternately receivinga refrigerant for freezing said water into ice rods inside the tubes anda hot gas for thawing the outer surfaces of said rods so as to disengagethem from the walls of the tubes and allow them to drop out of thetubes, a vertical shaft rotatably mounted in said container centrallywith respect to the set of tubes, at power motor provided at the top ofthe container externally thereof, power transmission means connectedbetween said motor and the top end of said shaft, a knife mounted onsaid shaft below said set of tubes and container for cutting the iceinto pieces as they drop out of said tubes, said ice ejecting mechanismbeing mounted on said shaft below said knife mechanism, said iceejecting mechanism comprising an open-mesh wire basket secured to thebottom end of said power shaft, said basket having a circumferentialwall of inverted frusto-conical shape to cause the ice pieces to pass upalong said side wall and be ejected at the top edge thereof under theinfluence of centrifugal force, while allowing water accompanying theice pieces to be thrown out the open spaces of said wall also under theinfluence of centrifugal force, and a water tank surrounding said knifemechanism and said ice piece ejector and exatending below same, saidtank having an ice piece outlet at the level of said ice piece ejector.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,456,546 Gleason May 29, 1923 2,239,234 Kubaugh Apr. 22, 1941 2,453,140Kubaugh Nov. 9, 1948 2,648,203 Heuser Aug. 11, 1953

